Will a Geelong-Sydney Grand Final happen in 2024? What is the most likely matchup?

[RUNVS]

Swans supporters - do you think the teams formbof last few weeks suggest they are back to where they were earlier in the season?

Not a chance. The team prior to the bye is way better than the current one.

I mean don't get me wrong, the Swans are better now than we were a month ago, but we have not reached the levels we were at in the first half of the season.

 

[MF]

Swans supporters - do you think the teams form of last few weeks suggest they are back to where they were earlier in the season?

No. I think we need McInerney fit and firing to get back to that.

 

[Mr Meow]

Pre-season favouritism is useless at this point in a season. Injuries/storylines/growth etc. We had a horrid start to the year, 4 ACL injuries & a 2-5 start. So while we were pre-season premiership favourites, it didn't last very long.

Also not sure you can say we're expected to win a flag but the Cats aren't. You guys won the flag 2 years ago with largely the same core. I think there is a level of expectation for both teams coming into this Prelim. Cats at the MCG after a week's break against an interstate side. Lions studded list and pre-season expectations to go one better from the 23' Grand Final loss.

I hope it'll be a far more contested affair than the 22' Prelim. I remember sitting in the rain all second half just feeling glum.

That's surface level analysis.

Actually lots of things have changed at Geelong since 2022.

No Selwood, Smith, Hawkins, Cam Guthrie, Rohan, O'Connor or Parfitt. The first 4 were still massively important players, including two chosen for AA, one still a gun wingman and the inspirational contested midfielder in the middle. Rohan won us that thrilling QF.

Duncan, Tuohy, Blicavs, Stanley and Bews were very important players, all playing to a much higher level. Now at full strength most of them aren't even locked in best 22.

Holmes, Z.Guthrie, Miers and Jack Henry are more important/influential players than 2 years ago.

7 new players in our best 23, most of them important players. Dempsey, Bowes, Mannagh, Bruhn, Humphries, Neale and O.Henry.

Role changes: Stewart a midfielder, Blicavs a defender, Danger spends more time at half forward, SDK was rucking, Holmes plays three positions.

The game plan has become more kamikaze and mosquito fleet based. It was on the way there in 2022 but now its been fully embraced.

 

[Cleansweep17]

You were premiership favorites before the season kicked off.
Meanwhile, Geelong weren't even fancied to play finals let alone make it through the grand final.

Even when we booked our spot in the top four, this is the kind of disrespectful crap the club received . . .

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There is no pressure on Geelong. Even the latest betting market has this game as close to even money as it gets.
Brisbane are expected to win a flag with this core group of players.

Why would there be pressure? making finals is enough for you guys.

You could get thumped by 100 in the prelim and still be happy about it.

 

[Mr Meow]

Why would there be pressure? making finals is enough for you guys.

You could get thumped by 100 in the prelim and still be happy about it.

Nah, just happier to have a shot at making the grand final than being an embarrassing wooden spooner.

 

[Toffee Lion]

That's surface level analysis.

Actually lots of things have changed at Geelong since 2022.

No Selwood, Smith, Hawkins, Cam Guthrie, Rohan, O'Connor or Parfitt. The first 4 were still massively important players, including two chosen for AA, one still a gun wingman and the inspirational contested midfielder in the middle. Rohan won us that thrilling QF.

Duncan, Tuohy, Blicavs, Stanley and Bews were very important players, all playing to a much higher level. Now at full strength most of them aren't even locked in best 22.

Holmes, Z.Guthrie, Miers and Jack Henry are more important/influential players than 2 years ago.

7 new players in our best 23, most of them important players. Dempsey, Bowes, Mannagh, Bruhn, Humphries, Neale and O.Henry.

Role changes: Stewart a midfielder, Blicavs a defender, Danger spends more time at half forward, SDK was rucking, Holmes plays three positions.

The game plan has become more kamikaze and mosquito fleet based. It was on the way there in 2022 but now its been fully embraced.

I do appreciate your post MM as it dives deep into why it’s not the same team but last night I had a look at the Top 10 possie getters in the 22’ Prelim and 9/10 were Geelong players, all 9 are playing next week.

That is half the team that dominated us, still playing. Not equating for guys like Jezza as well.

Still, it’s not the be end all of the matchup. We didn’t even have a ruckman last time out and certainly no Ashcroft/Fletcher/Lohmann youth etc.

It’ll be a different game.

 

[Mr Meow]

I do appreciate your post MM as it dives deep into why it’s not the same team but last night I had a look at the Top 10 possie getters in the 22’ Prelim and 9/10 were Geelong players, all 9 are playing next week.

That is half the team that dominated us, still playing. Not equating for guys like Jezza as well.

Still, it’s not the be end all of the matchup. We didn’t even have a ruckman last time out and certainly no Ashcroft/Fletcher/Lohmann youth etc.

It’ll be a different game.

Fair enough. Tuohy, Duncan and Blicavs are 3 examples from that list who won a lot more of the footy that year than they do now. Then obviously no Cam Guthrie. It'll probably be players like Mannagh, Bowes, Humphries and Dempsey this time.

Year-on-year, fair enough teams can be extremely similar. Two years apart there is sufficient difference to make it feel like a fresh contest. Certainly for Geelong because a few are retiring each season.

So my point is we have little to learn from the 2022 contest.